Jones’s game-winner provided the final lead change in a thrilling contest which featured nine ties and 15 lead changes, and it gave the Timberwolves (7-4 overall, 3-2 GLIAC) their fourth victory in their last five games.

“It’s not easy to win on the road, and everybody we play is pretty good, too,” noted NU coach Jeff Rekeweg. “Ashland had a nice crowd, and they made some big shots down the stretch when we had a five-point lead. ... I was really proud of the way our guys kept their composure.”

Ashland (8-3, 2-3) had taken a one-point lead with only five seconds remaining before Jones brought the ball upcourt and pulled up inside the lane to nail an eight-foot jumper at the buzzer.

“He did a great job of getting his body squared up and knocking it down,” Rekeweg said.

Dylan Langkabel led the Timberwolves with 19 points and shot well, making 5 of 8 from the floor — including 3 of 5 from beyond the 3-point arc — and 6 of 8 from the foul line.

Jermaine Myers had 16 points and three steals for NU, while Will Bowles had 14 points and nine rebounds, Khalid King had nine points and four assists, and Jones finished with eight points and five assists.

The Eagles shot 52 percent (26 of 50) from the floor to Northwood’s 51 percent (24 of 47), but the Timberwolves outscored Ashland 17-12 from the foul line, finished with a 28-23 rebounding edge, and outscored the Eagles 26-19 in points off of turnovers.

Northwood hit three 3-pointers in an early 13-0 run to go up 17-6 before Ashland responded with seven straight points to cut it to 17-13.

The teams traded 9-0 runs at the end of the half, and NU eventually took a 35-34 lead into the locker room.

Likewise, the second half was a see-saw affair, as the teams were tied five times and traded leads 14 times. The Timberwolves managed to build a 68-63 lead with 2:55 remaining, but the Eagles answered with a 3-point play by Dawuan Thomas moments later and eventually took a 71-70 lead on two free throws by Wendell Davis with 35 seconds left to play.

With NU still trailing by one, Myers came up with a steal and was fouled with 14 seconds remaining. He split two free throws to tie the score at 71-71.

Nine seconds later, Davis was fouled and also split two free throws, giving Ashland a 72-71 edge and setting the stage for Jones’s heroics.

Jones grabbed the rebound on Davis’s missed second free throw and took it coast-to-coast for the game-winner.

“Mo did a good job of securing the rebound, and then there was contact (from a defender) about a quarter of the way up the court, but he did a good job of keeping his balance,” Rekeweg said. “ ... They were able to get back (and cut off the drive), but their kid was backing up (in the lane), and he (Jones) was able to pull up and hit the shot.”

Rekeweg noted that, although there is still plenty of season to go, Friday’s win could potentially help out in the long run.

“By getting this win, it puts us at least a game ahead of (everyone in the South Division) and helps us keep pace with teams in the North, and it also gives us some separation from the South teams,” he said. “Down the stretch, that could make a big difference (if we’re competing for a conference championship).”

Rekeweg said he was particularly pleased with his team’s tenacity both mentally and physically in a scrappy back-and-forth affair.

“(I liked) our toughness. Even though we made mistakes, we were tough,” he said. “We came up with big rebounds, we came up with 50-50 balls, and we showed toughness by how we kept our composure at the end. I didn’t see guys dropping their heads (when we faced adversity).”

The Timberwolves head to Lake Erie for a 3 p.m. game on Sunday against a Storm team which has beaten NU three straight times and is 4-1 all-time against the Timberwolves.

“They’ve had our number,” Rekeweg said of Lake Erie. “It’s time we got that monkey off our back.”